


Change

by Paige242



Category: Superman & Lois (TV 2020)
Genre: Brothers, Football, Gen, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:54:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29759952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paige242/pseuds/Paige242
Summary: As he watches his father and brother, Jon grapples with the fact that things have changed.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	Change

**Author's Note:**

> I’m in love with this show.  
> This is inspired by a shot from the preview of Clark and Jordan tossing a football as Jon stands to the side. I wanted to explore how that might go and how he might feel.  
> Reviews much appreciated!

“Hey Mom. Where are dad and Jordan?” 

Jonathan Kent had arrived in the farmhouse kitchen to find his mother hunched over her laptop, clicking away at her latest story with a cold cup of coffee nearby. 

It was Saturday and he had slept pretty late after a long and tiring week at school. Apparently, everyone else in the house had already started their day. He could see a plate of mostly eaten croissants on the counter and he quickly grabbed one as his mother looked up from her task. 

“Good morning sweetheart,” she paused, glancing at the wall clock. “Or should I say, good afternoon.” Lois raised a playful eyebrow and shot her son a look of slight exasperation. 

He shot back with his most charming smile and he could see her soften immediately. 

It worked every time. 

“Dad and Jordan are out front,” she said, answering his initial question as he took a hefty bite of his croissant. It was cold, but delicious. He briefly wondered if they were from Smallville, or if his dad had gone a bit further afield to get something this authentic. 

“I think I heard them say something about playing football. You should join them.” His mother finished, glancing back towards her screen. 

Jon was a bit surprised by that last remark. He’d tried to get Jordan to play football with him countless times before and his twin had always refused. Jordan often said that sports were stupid and the topic had even gotten a bit tense at times. 

He couldn’t even picture his brother tossing a ball around. But hey, stranger things had happened over the last couple of months. It’s wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. 

He could tell that his mom wanted to get back to work so, rather than questioning her, he just gave her a quick thank you and started out towards the front door. He could hear the sound of happy voices as he approached (another unexpected oddity). Was Jordan actually having fun with their dad? The two rarely spent time together alone and, when they did, it usually seemed to end with Jordan storming off in a huff. 

Dad was a pretty chipper guy and Jordan had been brooding grumpily for years now. They’d never really been able to see eye to eye and it was always Jon who tried to smooth things over. He was the easy-going twin and had a much better relationship with their father. 

Jordan may have looked more like the man, but Jon was definitely the one who shared his temperament. 

But, as Jonathan stood behind the closed door listening to the muffled shouts and laughter outside, another thought crossed his mind. 

Things had changed a lot recently. They’d discovered their father’s big secret and discovered that Jordan seemed to have the bigger dose of Kryptonian DNA for some reason. 

It really hadn’t bothered Jon too much. The thought of being half-alien was pretty damn unsettling and he didn’t really like dwelling on it. He’d coped with the big reveal by pushing it to the back of his mind as much as possible. Sure, his father was from another planet and that meant he technically wasn’t normal either- but the fact that he didn’t seem to have powers made it way easier to pretend that he was still a regular guy. He could still live the life he’d always pictured without worrying that he’d destroy the school with death lasers or unveil the family secret by flying off the football field mid-game. 

Part of him still feared that something lurked beneath. But he felt so normal and, for now anyway, he was happy to just carry on in a state of partial denial. 

Things were different for Jordan, though. Ever since that day in the barn it seemed that something had activated inside of him. Over the past month, he’d acquired several new powers (and had been thrilled to miss a few days of school so that he could train with dad to get them under control). Sure, his brother had been just as shocked and upset to find out about the big cover-up but once the dust had settled he’d actually appeared to be pretty okay with everything. Oddly, he now seemed more relaxed than he had in years. 

Jon had been meaning to ask him about it. But, even though they had always been close, he hadn’t really breached the topic yet. Jon much preferred to talk about girls, and school, and weekend plans. Even before all of this, weird sci-fi stuff had been Jordan’s thing, not his. 

“Come on, dad!” As he heard Jordan’s uncharacteristically cheerful shout though the door curiosity finally got the better of him. Jon opened the barrier and stepped out into the sunny porch of the house, blinking for a moment as his eyes began to adjust. 

He surveyed the scene. 

Dad was near the driveway, football in his hand and a wide smile on his face. He didn’t turn to say hello as Jon came outside and his eyes remained firmly fixated on a blurry shape that was darting back and forth across the lawn at superhuman speed.

Finally the shape stopped moving to reveal the form of his brother. Jordan was covered in dust but he was smiling happily as he looked towards Clark. 

“Come on dad, I can go long,” he said, apparently not the least bit out of breath from his abnormally fast running. “Test me!” 

Their father chuckled softly before nodding in a agreement. 

“Go long!” 

In the blink of an eye, Jordan disappeared into the corn field and his dad drew back the football for a powerful throw. Jon may have been a progeny at the sport but he definitely couldn’t throw a ball like that. When his dad released it it sped over the field and out of sight faster than humanly possible. For a brief moment, Jon wondered if the ball would be lost for good but that proved to be a silly thought. 

His brother instantly reappeared at the edge of the field, the ball securely in his hand. Apparently he’d managed to run to the edge of the property and back in less than two seconds. 

“Told ya,” Jordan said, still grinning as he tossed the ball back to their father (this time without any super-powered enhancements). 

Jon tried his best to ignore the growing tightness in his stomach as he watched it all unfold. Everything about this was weird and unsettling to him. So much had changed in two short months- this time last year, he couldn’t even conceived of something like this. His father and brother playing a super powered version of catch in a field in Kansas. Hell, super powers aside, the mere fact that his brother was actually having fun playing a sport with their dad was a lot to wrap his head around. 

He supposed that they’d started to become closer now. How could they not? Jon had happily gone off to school while Jordan had stayed home those days, learning how to be a good Kryptonian. He’d assumed that it was torture for him- embracing his alien side while spending the day with his least-favourite parent. But maybe it hadn’t been so bad. 

Maybe the two had bonded in a way that no one else on earth could understand. 

...not even him. 

“Jon!” His father greeted him happily with a wave and a lopsided grin, “about time you woke up,” he laughed as Jon playfully rolled his eyes. “Good timing, though. We just started tossing the ball around if you want to join in.” 

Jon found himself holding back a scoff. He would not call what he had just seen ‘tossing the ball around.’ Whatever they had been doing was almost too fast to even watch. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to join in on that. 

His stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“Don’t worry, we’ll slow it down,” Jordan added as if reading his mind. Sometimes the twin connection was a bit of a curse. “We can play at human speed for you.” 

The last remark seemed to send a jolt of rage through his body. Jon wasn’t usually an angry person but it took all of his willpower not to snap at his brother in that moment. 

He was the athletic one. Football had always been his thing. He hated the implication that his dad and brother would have to take it easy to let him join in. 

Plus, he thought bitterly, he wasn’t technically human either. Not fully. But apparently he got to share the burden of knowing his true origins without any of the perks that Jordan seemed to enjoy.

At the rate things were going, his brother was going to end up being Superman Jr. in no time. Where did that leave him? Was he destined to be a powerless half-alien...a secret freak who made no difference and yet lived with the fear that unknown abilities might one day emerge? 

He hated the thought. 

It seemed much better to be all or nothing. Maybe his dad’s weird ice palace had a way to eliminate his alien side. At least then, he could truly move on with his life. 

“Nah, I’m good,” the teen finally managed to reply. He hadn’t been able to muster his usual cheerful tone, but he hoped it was enough not to raise their worries. 

His dad looked at him for a moment as Jordan shrugged, clearly accepting the answer. 

“Alright dad, let’s try it again.” 

Any worry his father might have felt for him seemed to dissipate as he looked back towards his new protege. Towards the son who was more like him than Jon would ever be. 

Unable to stand it a moment longer, Jon turned back towards the door and hastily went back inside. As it slammed behind him he leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath as he let the old oak support the bulk of his weight. 

His stomach still churned and he felt his body begin to shake as he finally let down his calm facade. 

It seemed to hit him now more than it ever had before. 

Things were never going to be the same.


End file.
